Author: Rick Mc

Who is MostepanovaFan?

We are not worthy.

Here’s a sample video code of points difficulty analysis (2008 Olympics) from MostepanovaFan.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Of course these will quickly become out-of-date as the good ladies of the FIG change the rules. But it’s the fastest, easiest way to get a quick overview of how modern International routines are put together.

In fact the sample above is already long out-of-date. The women count only the top 8 skills now.

Click through to the MostepanovaFan channel on YouTube for more including:

As coaches we talk a lot about line and posture.

But how’s your posture, coach?

I am definitely image #1. Monkey posture.

Trainer Pete Friesen, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, wanted to put me in a text book as typical male gymnast bad posture.

The image came from a post on Full Twist – The Educator.

IG is reporting that FIG has made a drastic rules change to improve our sport.

Artistic gymnastics is getting a new “kiss and cry” area, the FIG announced Saturday.

“The Federation is taking steps toward making its competitions more entertaining …

Artistic gymnasts will join figure skaters and rhythmic gymnasts, who already wait in the score zone to receive their marks after competing.

Gymnastics competitions are in “dire need” of overhaul, the FIG Executive Committee and Council decided following a meeting in Lillestroem, Norway. …

IG – Gymnastics Adds ‘Kiss and Cry’ Score Zone

The GymBlogosphere is near unanimous in response:

… Dear FIG,

Remove your collective heads from your collective anal sphincters …

thailek – IG Forum

Blythe on Gymblog:

… What better way to make gymnastics look less like a sport and more like a beauty contest or reality TV show. …

How embarrassing is this going to be for Men’s Gymnastics?

Now … I don’t mind a rendezvous spot on the competition Floor for coach and athlete to meet after the routine. This is done often now for TV broadcasts. It might even look spontaneous and natural.

FIG is clearly a disaster. Great people. But great people who are making one bad decision after another.

It’s time for a coupe.

We need support a block to replace Grandi and his long time supporters.

After we posted the routine of up-and-coming Ring man CJ Maestas, several wrote in to point out that Scott Rosenthal, at Level 10, is as good or better.

Better strength, I’d say, judging from this training footage.

Click PLAY or watch one of Scott’s competition routines on YouTube.

Scott Rosenthal from Gemini Gymnastics has committed to Penn State, home of Ring man Kevin Tan.

The PERFECT 15.75 …

What if Grandi had his way in the 70’s?

source – All Gymnastics, All the Time

I was surprised at some of the negative comments about Anna Myzdrikova’s Floor routine.

Certainly it does not compare with the greats of the past. But Myzdrikova is much better than most other routines under the current code of points. Anna is much better than He Ning from China, for just one contemporary example.

Here’s one of the great routines from the past that is much, much better in every way.

Click PLAY or watch Lilia Podkopaeyva (Ukraine) at the 1996 Olympics on YouTube.

So elegant. Amazing tumbling. And how I miss the days when girls did not walk backwards into the corners.

Watch 2 more favourites Simona Amanar (Romania) 1996 and Dominique Moceanu (USA) 1996 on Full Twist – Favourite Routines.

The Couch Gymnast has a terrifc rant on this subject – Grace vs Power .

Leave a comment if you have your own favourite Floor routine(s).

Raj Bhavsar already has a skill named after him on Rings.

At the upcoming World Cup meet in Moscow he plans to unveil another “new” skill, this time on P Bars.

… Bhavsar will be one of four U.S. gymnastics, joining national all-around champion David Sender, Olympic bronze medalist Joey Hagerty and University of Oklahoma gymnast Chris Brooks of Houston, who will compete May 29-30 in Moscow at an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup.

Bhavsar will compete on rings and parallel bars, but his primary incentive for the trip is the chance to get his name in the FIG code of points if he completes an above-bar release skill on parallel bars that he has been practicing since 2007.

“It starts from one end of the bar and finishes at the other end, and I think I’ve got it down,” he said. “It’s like any skill – more hits than misses. I’m 95 percent there.” …

Chronicle

Leave a comment if you know his new trick.

Normally competing a skill at a World Cup is not enough to get into the Code of Points. That might happen if he competes it at the World Championships.

He is Rajnastics on twitter.

Best tweet from Raj: “Enough whine about swine.”

Hey, Utah Coach Greg Marsden just joined twitter. He’s a bit slow to the party. Surprising since Greg and Utah are often first to do things online.

The latest Code of Points video from MostepanovaFan is terrific.

An edit showing “named” vaults, often as performed by their namesake.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

more MostepanovaFan videos

Most nations need at least one Rings specialist on their National Team.

Kevin Tan, for example, was a lock for Beijing because he had the highest potential Ring score for the USA.

CJ Maestas (Gold Cup) just might be that guy in future. He easily won Rings for LEVEL 10 (16-18) at J.O. Nationals 2009. And also won Parallel Bars. Results.

Click PLAY or watch CJ on Rings on Stick It Media.

Short on holds. Certainly. But an amazing routine for his age. CJ’ll only get better and better for the next 10 years!

CHIMGYM posted the competitors list for the Moscow Stars World Cup May 29-30th.

Brazil and Vietnam are the only countries outside Europe bringing gymnasts to Moscow … in the Women’s competition.

The Couch Gymnast commentary:

… The line up is not too bad,but not exactly as enthralling as a Russian competition line up might have been twenty years ago. …

Moscow World Stars? Where’s the Stars?

The Men’s line up is much more competitive, as usual. The Americans are not afeared of competing in Russia:

Guillermo Alvarez (FX, PH)
Raj Bhavsar (SR, PB)
Christopher Brooks (FX, VT, HB)
David Sender (SR, VT)

Alvarez – Minnesota Gymnastics Training Center
====

On the bright side, provisional registrations are good for the 2009 London’s Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

… the FIG now counts a total of 520 gymnasts (315 men, 205 women) from 72 national federations.

For a post-Olympic year these are high numbers statistically and rival events such as Tianjin 1999, Anaheim 2003 with 73 countries and Aarhus 2006 with 70. Stuttgart 2007 still holds the record with 84 participating federations. …

FIG

Perhaps the new code is not killing Women’s Artistic Gymnastics worldwide. Over 200 women is a healthy number.